Ubisoft has responded to a lawsuit over the shutdown of its racing game The Crew, stating players purchased a “limited license to access the game” as opposed to “unfettered ownership”.
The game was taken offline in March last year, becoming unplayable due to its online requirements. Despite being 10 years old and essentially replaced by a successor, the decision sparked concern over both consumer rights and game preservation.
In November last year, fans filed a lawsuit in California against Ubisoft, stating players were unaware they owned only a licence to the game. Ubisoft responded in February, in a filing seen by Polygon, to dismiss the case.
The filing, from Ubisoft’s lawyers, states the company “allegedly misled purchasers of its video game The Crew into believing they were purchasing unfettered ownership rights in the game, rather than a limited license to access the game”.
“But the reality is that consumers received the benefit of their bargain and were explicitly notified, at the time of purchase, that they were purchasing a license,” it reads.
Ubisoft’s lawyers claim plaintiffs have applied a “kitchen sink approach on behalf of a putative class of nationwide customers” and alleged eight causes of action including false advertising and unfair competition. In response, they believe there has been no real “cognisable injury”.